Edge of Eternity: What You Need to Know About the Final Fantasy-esque Indie

The gaming market seems to be undersaturated with stellar JRPG titles these days. With Final Fantasy releases taking years to finally drop, to long awaited titles such as Kingdom Hearts 3 and Persona 5 still just being teased to players, JRPG fans have been neglected in the home console market. However, a little indie title called Edge of Eternity may have slipped under the radar of avid JRPG fans, and it may have the power to help bring back a resurgence in the genre.

Edge of Eternity is an upcoming JRPG indie title from Midgar Studios. The French game developers have described the upcoming title as a “tribute to the genre and a modern take on it.” And that it is. Edge of Eternity follows the tale of spiky-haired, anime inspired Daryon, and his journey on planet Heryon, a war ravaged world that has been under siege from an as of now unknown enemy for over 30 years.

The world of Edge of Eternity.

Immediately, the gameplay mechanics will remind players of Final Fantasy XIII. Edge of Eternity uses an ATB (Advanced Time Battle) gameplay style that runs smoothly, and is paired with enemy encounters that are activated by players running up to monsters and automatically beginning the battle. Special attacks and items, which are also a staple of JRPGs, are shown in the menu as well. Midgar Studios has heavily advertised its game as being incredibly open world, unlike other linear titles RPG games. The studio is also taking queues from western RPG devs by having a non-linear story with branching scenarios and choices, and has cited Bioware as a major inspiration.

Edge of Eternity has been officially approved by the Steam Greenlight Community, and has raised much more than it’s original goal of $44,000 on Kickstarter. As of today, Midgar Studios has raised over $100,000, with over 2,300 backers and a deadline of March 22.

Because of this, Edge of Eternity has reached multiple stretch goals. The first, and most impressive is the official release of the game on PS4 and Xbox One, in addition to PC, Mac, and Linux.

The Kickstarter has also reached a stretch goal of including diverse features and breeding options for the mascots of the game: Nekaroos. Gamers will immediately be reminded of chocobos when first reading about the giant cat creatures that inhabit the world of Edge of Eternity. However, Midgar Studios says that their nekaroo features will actually be more of a throwback to the chao in Sonic Adventure. Players will receive a nekaroo to ride while traveling early on in the game. As players progress, more nekaroos will become available, each having its own distinct appearance, skill set, and bonuses. Midgar Studios uses the example of how nekaroos found close to the shore will be able to swim, allowing players to cross water terrain. To breed nekaroos, players must collect specific items, and the creatures can be leveled up with mini-games to improve their stats. This massive addition to the game should keep players more than satisfied.

Daryon riding a nekaroo.

The most recent stretch goal that Edge of Eternity reached is an intricate and personalized crafting feature. Players will be able to craft their own weapons, armor, potions, and fuse crystals. For weapon crafting, players will put together 3 main parts to forge a sword, or other weapon of their choice, and their will be options to upgrade weapons into superior forms. When it comes to armor and alchemy, exact recipes will need to be followed in order to create potions and armor pieces. These items will be gathered from chests, battles, or searching the game’s world.

Crystal fusion seems to be the most unique feature of crafting. Crystals are the source of magic in the Edge of Eternity universe: They boost weapons stats, and offer new spells and attributes. By smelting two inferior crystals together, a superior one is created, which in turn will unleash even higher weapons stats and more powerful spells.

The next stretch goal of $130,000 will allow Midgar Studios to team up with the prestigious Japanese composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, whose claim to fame includes creating the music for Chrono Trigger, Kid Icarus, and Xenogears. With the massive amount of praise and donations the studio has received, reaching this stretch goal seems extremely likely.

Look out for Edge of Eternity as it drops on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and Linux in December 2016.

Gabby first delve into the world of gaming with Pokémon Red. Being a 90’s kid, it was practically predestined for her to discover the wonder of the Gameboy. From there on, Pokémon, Zelda, Mario, Kirby, and Sonic became the staples of her gaming diet. At the age of nine, she received her very first home console: the GameCube. She entered the world of JRPGs and simulation games such as Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. With the purchase of a PS3 in 2008, she began the third chapter in her gaming life, embracing RPGs such as Fallout and Mass Effect, action-adventures like inFamous, and even shooters. The well-rounded gamer is also an avid anime fan and devoted cosplayer, and has a fondness for film, writing, and photography that she hopes to take to the professional level after college.